It's Avery Johnson Or Bust For Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are blessed with one of the most talented young point guards in all of basketball and a big city fanbase hungry for a championship.  And with its head coach (apparently) on his way out the door, there is only one man on the market that should be ushered in as the next head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

Avery Johnson.

Let me rephrase that.  Avery Johnson ... and no one else.

Johnson was a fiery point guard during his days with the San Antonio Spurs, and after years of hearing experts and analysts say "you can't win a NBA title with Avery Johnson running the show" the diminutive one delivered the Larry O'Brien trophy with the help of Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

Johnson would go on to lead the Dallas Mavericks to three playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat.  Johnson took over for Don Nelson and what transpired under Mark Cuban's leadership really is something for a story teller with much more time on his hands than yours truly.

Long story short, Johnson used Nelson's up-tempo, run-and-gun style of offense while implementing his signature style intense man-to-man defense.  It was a formula for success until Baron Davis' Golden State Warriors (coached by Nelson, of course) knocked off the Mavericks in the playoffs.  Did I mention the Warriors were the No. 8 seed?

Oops.

Still, Johnson remains the best coach on the market and when hired, will become one of the top 10 coaches in the NBA as soon as he signs the contract.  He will come with a price tag, and the Bulls would still be paying for Del Negro and Scott Skiles, but it will be a price worth paying.

Surely Jerry Reinsdorf should not mind paying three coaches for a short period of time.  I mean, he had no problem finding money to pay Scott Linebrink $4.5 million to post a 4.66 earned run average and 1.66 WHIP out of the pen, or to pay Mark Teahen (coming off a .271/.325/.408/.734 season with 12 homers and 50 RBIs) $3.75 million to play third base.

I won't go into detail, but at least I would be remiss if I did not mention that Alex Rios is signed up to make $58.7 million through 2014.

Jeff Van Gundy is a name that will get a lot of play because he was one of the league's best coaches, falling to Johnson's Spurs title team while coaching the only No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals.  JVG is also one of the NBA's elite TV analysts.  And Byron Scott is an excellent candidate in his own right, having led Jason Kidd and the Nets to the NBA Finals, and getting All-Star years out of Chris Paul.  Certainly Scott could be a good mentor for young Derrick Rose.

But this is Reinsdorf we're talking about.  He passed on Johnson and Mike D'Antoni to hire Del Negro on the cheap.  He's got Ozzie Guillen at a bargain (approximately a third less than what Lou Piniella makes on average) because he loves baseball that much.

What I'm saying is when the team brings in Lawrence Frank or Doug Collins, be prepared to battle an increase in blood pressure.  Frank is not the answer, while Collins is as much of a long-term solution as Bernie Bickerstaff or Del Harris would be.

Besides, I'd miss Doug and Marv Albert (yes!) on TNT.

In the end, it looks like Del Negro is on the outs.  Not that any of us are surprised, for he probably should have never been hired in the first place.

But if Avery Johnson isn't walking through that door, and things aren't stable before the big 2010 free agent class hits the market things really won't change.

Because, let's face it, it's going to be hard enough to get the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade packaged deal.  It will be much harder if Vinny Del Negro or Lawrence Frank is your head coach.

Do The Bears Need Change At The Top?

I knew it wouldn't take long before the calls for heads to roll would be coming in.  And I don't blame Bears fans.  Not one bit.

There are only so many times you can put up with failed screen attempts, dive plays run for players who are barely tall enough to ride a rollercoaster.  Bubble screens on third and long.  Ron Turner's playbook is so vanilla, chocolate wants no part of it in a swirl.  It's bad and embarrassing.  And to think, Bears fans (myself included) thought there would be an improvement with Jay Cutler under center.

And while Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett have stepped their games up, the Bears offense as a whole is still as boring as ever at times.

The only way the Bears are going to get change in the offense is if it says good-bye to Lovie Smith, who prior to this week's debacle, had done a pretty good job calling the defensive plays.  But Smith, who has two years remaining on his current deal, seemed to have had his playbook switched with the old Bob Babich kind.

So, where should the Bears go with this?  You'll see after the jump.

Mike Shanahan should be the Bears' top target.  If there is anyone on the open market who knows offense, it's the former boss of the Broncos.  The Oak Park, Ill., native owned a 138-86 record (.616 winning percentage) in his 14 years with the Broncos.  He won two Super Bowls and posted an 8-5 career postseason record.

You can easily dismiss Shanahan's record by saying the name John Elway, but it would be wrong to do so.  The Broncos ranked in the top five in rushing touchdowns seven times.  His stable of 1,000-yard backs included Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Tatum Bell, Mike Anderson, Reuben Droughns and Clinton Portis.  From 1995 to 2005, Shanahan's offenses ranked in the top 10 in league scoring in 10 of those 11 seasons.  The Broncos ranked 18th in a year in which the team was led by Brian Griese.

And remember, it was Shanhan's firing that opened the door for Josh McDaniels and the ensuing Jay Cutler hissyfit that sent him to Chicago.  I guess that would make too much sense.

Then there's Jon Gruden, who turned Brad Johnson into a Super Bowl winning quarterback.  Johnson put forth a pedestrian 26-23 record as the Buccaneers starting QB, but he went 10-3 in 2002 en route to a Super Bowl title.  Seriously, to this day Gruden must think to himself, "Damn, how did I win a Super Bowl with Brad Freakin' Johnson as my quarterback?" on a daily basis.

Gruden's passing offenses were among football's top 10 best six times in his 11 year head coaching career.  He coached the likes of Johnson and Rich Gannon.  Think about it.  On a good day, Johnson and Gannon combine to have one-tenth the athletic ability of Jay Cutler.  If presented the opportunity to coach up Cutler, Gruden would probably cream his pants and welcome himself on board for the ride.

Hell, I wouldn't mind a yet-to-be named coordinator ... as long as his name wasn't Ron Turner.  He would have to understand the concepts of "vertical passing game" and "scoring points" in order to get a second interview.  Then, as long as he agrees running Garrett Wolfe up the middle is among the worst ideas for an offensive play call, then he could be signed.

In the end, the biggest cure-all could be an offensive line that doesn't suck.  As much grief as Cutler took for mishandling several snaps, at what point does Olin Kreutz accept some of the heat?  It's not as if Cutler is the first signal caller that wasn't able to handle Kreutz's balls out of the shotgun (no homo) as Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman struggled mightily at times, too.

For one season, why couldn't we have Orlando Pace from four years ago?  That alone would give Cutler enough time to find an open Greg Olsen, right?

It's almost sad that I want to defend this coaching staff just a little bit.  While the Bears did improve at the quarterback position, there weren't enough upgrades elsewhere.  Some of this is because of the Bears' poor draft days.  Another reason is the lack of development when the Bears get something right.

Sunday's loss to Benson's Bengals is a cold slap-in-the-face.  Worst case scenario, the 2009 Bears are what I thought the 2008 Bears were.  Mediocre.

The Curious Case Of The DePaul Coaching Carousel

Here we go again.

DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball coach Jerry Wainwright has had his staff raided ... by his own AD. Earlier in the college hoops off-season, Scott Wainwright (yes, Jerry's son and former staff assisstant) was given his walking papers ... much to the chagrin of Papa Wainwright.

The younger Wainwright was allegedly pushed off the Lincoln Park campus when his pops would not agree to a partial buy-out of the three years remaining on his contract. Now, the rest of his staff is looking for work.

(Aside: Seriously, has there ever been a job in college basketball history where three assistant coaches have gotten the heave-ho and the head coach has gotten to stay?)

Anyway...

Sources told WSCR afternoon host Dan Bernstein DePaul had been trying to push Wainwright and his entire staff out the door in an effort to help lure SIU head coach Chris Lowery away from his alma mater. And when Wainwright declined to resign and accept the partial buy-out, heads started to roll.

In December, Lindsey Willhite of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald, basically gauged Lowery's interest in the gig. C-Lo's response: Deserving of a block quote.

The biggest thing for me is, I want to win. That's No. 1. The only way I would leave Southern is if I thought I could go and win somewhere. I make great money. So I don't have to take a job where I feel is going to be detrimental to my career. I don't think I'm going to go anywhere that's detrimental to winning. And that's the thing: I've always been a part of winning, from high school to college to assistant (coach). Every step of the way, I've had some success. At this point, I don't need to go anywhere just for money.

In my chats with Lowery, I've learned that he likes the city of Chicago. (Most of those chats revolve around: "Hey Coach, get some Chicago games on the schedule so I can see the team once I graduates. Always my favorite ice-breaker w/C-Lo ... I digress.) He likes the city's recruits. He likes the exposure that could come from the media there. He likes Harold's Chicken (yeah, he told me that ... long story for another day). But DePaul seems like a job (right now) that could be detrimental to his career. Nothing says "detrimental to my career" like going to a school that was winless in the Big East.

Suprisingly, this is the last Lowery's name will be mentioned in this post (kind of).

Because if DePaul can't have C-Lo, it seems as if it will settle for assistant Lance Irvin, who coached under Joey Meyer in one of his many previous stops. As the Blue Demons attempt to rebuild the mess created by Wainwright (technically started by Dave Leitao but dates back to the Pat Kennedy days), Irvin is the "perfect" candidate because of his family ties to the very talented Mac Irvin Fire AAU team ran by his pappy.

At this point, Irvin should weigh his options carefully. If he returns to DePaul, it will likely be only for one year ... and likely will not land any of the Mac Irvin crew because he'll be added so late in the process. (Kind of why SIU doesn't have any Fire recruits right now. Most of those kids have already committed elsewhere.)

One year of bad Blue Demon basketball probably isn't worth the nearly six-hour trip up I-57.

Meanwhile, I can't help but wonder if Lowery is getting agitated by the situation. One of Lowery's top recruiting principles is bringing kids in who want to be Salukis. If an assistant (a highly regarded one at that) doesn't follow the same mantra, isn't that self-defeating ... or hypocritical?

Having dealt with Coach Irvin this season, I know the following:

• He's a great quote.
• In practice, he participates like he's a 20something.
• The kids love him.
• Coach Lowery loves him.
  

But if he goes, he goes. Remember when SIU had three different head coaches in three years ... and each of them won the Valley and the Valley's Coach of the Year award? If Saluki Nation can overcome that, it can overcome the loss of an assistant who had only one year worth of ties to the program.

Report: Wisconsin's Bennett Interviews For SIU WBB Head Coach Vacancy

When SIU AD Mario Moccia announced Dana Eikenberg's resignation, Moccia outlined a list of 12 to 13 things he was looking for in the team's next head coach and that he had hoped to find it in a three week time span.

We are now entering Week 3, and we now have an interviewee thanks to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

"Assistant coach Kathi Bennett, generally credited with bolstering the defense of the University of Wisconsin women's basketball team in her first season on the staff, has interviewed for the head-coaching vacancy at Southern Illinois University."

A simple Google search helped me find the following info on Bennett:

• She is the daughter of former Wisconsin men's head basketball coach Dick Bennett, whose teams were known for their stifling defense.
• Bennett has head coaching experience, leading Indiana University to a 72-74 record, ending after the 2004-05 season. She has an overall head coaching record of 296-178.
  
• At UW-Oshkosh (a D-III school), Bennett won a national championship in 1996.

SIU wrapped up its application process Monday and will look through approximately 130 applications.

That's quite a task, but Moccia is no stranger to finding the right fit. He landed Dale Lennon, who led the Saluki football team to a 9-3 record and a Missouri Valley Football Conference championship. Moccia also nabbed Audra Nothwehr, who led the Saluki women's tennis team to a No. 3 seed in the upcoming Valley conference tourney.

Yes, tennis (one of the first beats I covered) is legit.

So as the process begins trust Moccia (and his committee) to do their due dilligence in finding the right candidate. As complex as this process seems (and I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you the reader who might not understand the situation as well as someone who has talked to Moccia on a weekly basis all year long) it's a good thing.

The last thing this administration wants to do is botch this hiring ... or worse ... make the wrong hire.

Patience is a virtue. In Moccia We Trust.

Bennett interviews for women's head coach job at SIU [JS Online]

Bruce Pearl Just Set Rap Music Back Forever

There aren't enough tracks by Kanye, Jay, Nas, Lil' Wayne (no vocoder), T.I., Ludacris or anyone else for that matter that can bring rap music back from the depths Bruce Pearl took it the other night.



ATTN: Dr. Dre: Bring me Detox, or bring Bruce Pearl death.

On second thought, Arizona is a lot prettier than Cincinnati in the winter

Only hours after rejecting the advances of Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood, Xavier's Sean Miller has decided to accept the coaching job that no one really wanted.

I hope Miller has Jerry Kill's hard-hat and lunch pail because there will be a major rebuilding process going on in Tuscon, Ariz. Jordan Hill -- gone. Chase Buddinger -- gone. Nic Wise -- gone. That's three-fifths of a Sweet 16 team that definitely underperformed under interim Russ Pennell in the schools most turbulent year.

On the other hand, Arizona's got some nice scenery (on and off campus) and apparently $18 million to throw around at a head coach. Unfortunately, Miller isn't the big name 'Zona's boosters were begging for, so methinks the former Muskateers head coach will be on a short leash.

Photo Credit: Pac 10 Poon

Is Jerry Krause's boy leaving La-La land?

I always thought Tim Floyd was a snake. He was Jerry Krause's sidekick that helped end the Chicago Bulls dynasty and turn the six-time NBA Champions into an absolute laughing stock. Analysts suggested he return to the college game after being absolutely overmatched in the pros. And he did.

Floyd landed at USC and has delivered the Trojans three NCAA Tournament bids in four years, including this year's run sparked by the Pac 10 Conference Tournament championship. On the other hand, he brought in Lil' Romeo to play basketball on a full-ride scholarship. Hey, you can't win 'em all.

So was I shocked to hear Jerry Krause's Boy mulling an offer to jump to conference rival Arizona? No.

Check out this nugget from the L.A. Times:

Arizona asked for permission to speak with Floyd on Tuesday. At the team banquet that night, Floyd gave an impassioned speech to players about staying at USC to win a national title, and not jumping to the NBA. He flew off to interview at Arizona on Wednesday.

Unless Floyd was talking to the Trojan football team, a national title isn't coming to the SoCal campus' hardwood heroes ... he must have been partying a lil' too hard with Matt Leinart.

It's 11:00 a.m. in the central, is John Calipari up yet?

Last we heard, Memphis head coach John Calipari was "sleeping" on the University of Kentucky's lucrative offer to coach its men's basketball team. Think Coach Cal is a cuddler? Maybe someone unplugged his alarm clock. He could be a heavy sleeper.

But if I was Calipari, I'd be taking Ashley Judd on a test drive before making my final decision.

And by test drive, of course I mean an in-depth interview to analyze her knowledge of college hoops.

Where God saving the Salukis conflicts with God saving the Blue Demons happens

I knew this day would come, it was just a matter of how soon.

Before DePaul became a Big East bottom feeder and SIU slumped its way out of postseason play, my mother (a DePaul alum) and myself (a current Saluki) dreamed about the day where our school's battled each other on the basketball court. Mother reminisced of the days of Ray Meyer while I gloated about "Floorburn U" and the coaching prowess of Chris Lowery.

Again, that all happened before this season. But now, with the Blue Demons having an assistant coaching spot open, the family rivalry might be renewed. Cue the bold blockquote (part one):

"[T]his job as an assistant coach at DePaul all comes down to one thing: the Class of 2011. If the head coach at DePaul isn't connected, then the assistant coach has to be ultra-connected to both the Chicago Public League and the AAU scene in the city and suburbs ... With that in mind, it's obvious the new assistant coach absolutely has to have some tie to the Mac Irvin Fire AAU program."

I've said it forever, the best team in the state of Illinois will dominate the recruiting of Chicagoland prospects. With that said, last offseason, SIU brought along Lance Irvin to help build that bridge down I-57. But wait, cue part two of the bold blockquote:

The first name is obvious. Southern Illinois assistant coach Lance Irvin is already rumored to be a target. There is no assistant coach more tied into the Mac Irvin Fire AAU team than Lance Irvin, who comes straight from the family tree.

I've had the pleasure of interviewing Coach Irvin on many occasions this season, so here is some insight.

Yeah, he's been around the college coaching world having stopped at Loyola, Iowa State, Illinois State, Texas A&M, Missouri, Southern Methodist and, of course, DePaul. But in my eyes, that makes him experienced with knowledge of different recruiting areas.

As for Irvin's best recruiting grab, he told me in an interview conducted in December it was David Bailey. Yes, the pint size point guard out of Loyola-Chicago. Bailey was the offensive force that nearly led the Ramblers to a few NCAA autobids out of the Horizon League.

In my one year of covering college hoops, I've come to the conclusion a good chunk of what is considered "good recruiting" is finding diamonds in the rough. Irvin's link to one of the state's premier AAU teams is undeniable, but it's the odd men out that sometimes take you the furthest.

Source: Calipari's dumb if he goes to Kentucky

John Calipari's ego reminds me of one of those giant, oversized Hershey's Chocolate bars that you find in your local grocery store.

They look good and taste good, but because it's so big, you get sick of it.

(That's what she said)

But it is because of Calipari's gigantic ... um ... ego ... yeah, that's it ... his ego is driving him to a job that could turn him into a coaching legend or drive him into the depths of college hell.

The Kentucky job is a bad job for all the wrong reasons. I will list a few:

• UK plays in the SEC, not Conference USA. The road to the NCAA Tourney won't go through Rice, East Carolina or Southern Methodist once Calipari steps foot in Lexington, Ky.
• There isn't a good football team to play the role of distraction if basketball seasons falls short of expectations (30 wins and a national title).
• Speaking of expectations, "Big Blue Nation" has the highest, most unreachable set of standards in college hoops. They're like the cute girl in class next to you. No matter how good you look, how smart you are or how excellent you are in bed ... if you're not the team's starting quarterback, you're not good enough. This isn't the 1980s -- dynasties are a thing of the past. UK fans don't realize it, in fact, they still think Michael Jackson is a colored.
• And finally, let's talk about facilities. I'm only about 24 hours removed from my Memphis experience, and I must say, the FedEx Forum is a mighty fine place to play basketball. Sure, not all parking lots are created equally, but Beale St. is a rockin' good time. And to be honest, the Tigers are a better proudct than the NBAs Grizzlies.
  

On the other hand, the Kentucky job does have its perks. And by perks, Ashley Judd comes to mind immediately.

But after that ... um ... crap ... yeah, Judd will have to do.

Source: John Calipari contemplating taking Kentucky Wildcats job [ESPN]

Let the coaching circle of life begin!

Billy Gillipsie (correct spelling) is out at Kentucky. I guess that thing between he and Ashley Judd didn't work out well.

So, now what? Well, let's take a trip in the college hoops time machine to the year 2003 when this set of chain reactions set off college basketball as we know it.

Roy Williams, who didn't give a sh*t about North Carolina after his Kansas Jayhawks fell to Syracuse in the 2003 title game, ended up giving enough of a sh*t to return to his alma mater and coach the Tar Heels.

North Carolina won a national title in the 2004-05 season.

With the Kansas job now open, Bill Self, who rebuilt a dying Illinois program by landing Dee Brown and Deron Williams, got on the first plane out of Chambana and took his dream job with the Jayhawks.

Kansas is the defending national champion.

The powers that be at the University of Illinois, which had its first recipe for success since the Lou Henson days under Self, took a trip down I-57 and snatched Southern Illinois head coach Bruce Weber and put an orange blazer on him.

Weber led a Fighting Illini squad that lost only one game during its regular season to the national championship game in St. Louis -- only to lose to North Carolina.

Matt Painter, Weber's top assistant at SIU, moved up the ranks and became the top dawg in Carbondale. Painter left after his one season to coach his alma mater, Purdue, leaving Saluki Nation with none other than alumnus Chris Lowery to make his return to Carbondale to be head coach.

Since then, Lowery has been pegged to take every high-major job that has opened up since the 2004-05 season. Michigan, LSU, Stanford and Oklahoma State are a few schools that were rumored to be interested in the Saluki head coach at one time or another.

I guess it's time to wave the green flag and let the games begin ... again. Kentucky, Virginia and Alabama are open right now. Florida might be open if Billy Donovan takes the job at his alma mater (UK). Mizzou's Mike Anderson is rumored to be a top candidate at Alabama. After Dave Leitao failed at UVA, who really wants to risk getting slammed by North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest by 20 points twice a year?

So, who knows what might happen this time around.

But for my sake, I hope none of it invoves one Christopher M. Lowery.

Building A Champion: The Coaching Staff

The SIU men's basketball team has been blessed with a bevy of talented coaches, especially in recent years.

The Floorburn U Salukis that dominated the Valley for a good part of this decade started with Bruce Weber, who was hired in 1998 to replace Rich Herrin.

Weber, a disciple of the Gene Keady school of basketball, instilled a hard-nosed man-to-man defense along with the motion offense.

Coach Bruce suffered through some tough times in Carbondale, as he was not the people's choice to replace Herrin as Saluki Nation couldn't comprehend him being "one of us."

It didn't matter to Weber, who posted a 103-54 record in his time at SIU.

And since he deserves most of the credit for rebuilding the once-proud basketball program, he will be the team's head coach.

Times were thin for the Saluki head coach, who used his secretary's nice car to pick up recruits because he drove a beater.

Kinda sounds like what I'm going through in the dating scene. It's hard to pick up the honeys when you're driving a '72 Nova.

Still, he was able to bring in talented players, underachievers and guys who flew under the radar to build a champion.

As for his assistants, well, they're awfully knowledgeable when it comes to the game of basketball.

His top assistant will be Matt Painter, the man who followed him at SIU. Painter posted a 25-5 record in the 2003-04 season and only lost one game in the Missouri Valley Conference that season before skipping town to coach his alma mater, Purdue.

Chris Lowery will be the Weber's No. 2 man and his defensive coordinator. Lowery amplified Keady's system by heightening the intensity of the man-to-man defense and will forever be remembered as the coach who coined "Floorburn U." I hope he's getting money off that -- not that his $750,000 salary isn't more than enough.

The team's third assistant, and offensive coordinator by default will be Rich Herrin. Oh what a tangled web we weave here at The Big Dead Sidebar as I've just hired the last four coaches in the Salukis' history.

Herrin's philosphy was simple. Score. Score a lot. Lowery, who played under Herrin, often tells tales of Herrin's "if you don't score, you don't play" days ... and does a killer impression of his former head coach.

With Weber, Painter, Lowery and Herrin on the bench (and probably long-time assistant Rodney Watson) SIU would have an excellent X's and O's coach assited by offensive and defensive masterminds up-and-down the bench.

This coaching staff alone would win Southern a much-coveted Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title.

Grading the Generals: Ranking NBA coaches (vol. 2)

I am pretty terrible at this blogging thing. I promise you all part 2 to a series the next day and it takes me a week. My sincerest apologies to all of you, but I will no longer have philosophy papers to worry about so I can get back to informing the masses about the NBA. 

But back to the business at hand. We last left off our countdown of the NBA's top coaches at No. 15 Michael Curry. Curry has shown he can guide a talented Detroit team to the top end of the Eastern Conference, but now we get into the really talented coaches.

14. Mike Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers)

When you have LeBron James on your roster there is not a whole lot of coaching that has to be done. I will give Brown plenty of credit for being able to get the 11 guys not named LeBron to sacrifice their NBA careers and be willing to sacrifice their stats for the W's.

13. Scott Skiles (Milwaukee Bucks)

Call it bias but I think he is a great coach. He took the worst defensive team last year and has them in the top-10 in the league. He took a slightly better than average Chicago Bulls team and led them to 48 wins. I would like to see him put more faith in younger players, but he is solid.

12. Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics)

This may seem a little low for a coach who just won a ring, but Rivers never had much success until he had three superstars on his team. He is great at managing minutes between his starters and bench, which keeps his teams rested and ready for playoffs. His game coaching is minimal.

11. Larry Brown (Charlotte Bobcats)

Larry Brown is like your hot high school teacher. He is good at teaching and coaching and fun to be around, but then relationships get weird. Either Brown or one of his players cross some line and then everything just turns into one big, strange situation. 

10. Byron Scott (New Orleans Hornets)

Scott built a powerful team in New Jersey with the three-man wrecking crew strategy. He landed Chris Paul in New Orleans and is closer to getting another three-man crew in place with David West and Rasaul Butler. He has a vision and he carries it out. 

9. Mike Woodson (Atlanta Hawks)

If you like your basketball fast, exciting, emotional and tenacious then watch the Hawks. Woodson took a group of talented athletes and made them one of the most feared and prepared teams in the league. The Hawks are everything basketball should be, even when they lose.

8. George Karl (Denver Nuggets)

How could he not be top-10? He took my Milwaukee Bucks to the Eastern Conference Championship. But Karl is also one of the best in-game strategists. He is able to make changes on the fly which keeps his teams in games until the very end.

7. Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors)

Don "Who needs defense when you can score 130 points a game" Nelson loves to watch his team put the ball in the hoop and then act surprised when they don't play defense. It's always fun to watch Nelson act crazy after a defensive mishap. Still, 1,285 wins is impressive.

6. Rick Adelman (Houston Rockets)

Two words and a number sum him up. Sacramento Kings 2002. That was one of the most fun teams to watch play in NBA history. I have never seen such unselfish offense and such a flashy way of doing it. For that team, I will always be grateful to Mr. Adelman. 

5. Stan Van Gundy (Orlando Magic)

He looks like Ron Jeremy, which is hilarious, he wins 61 percent of his games, which is awesome. And he built an NBA Championship team and all in just 5 years. A second championship may be right around the corner with the Magic. The man can coach, period. 

4. Mike D' Antoni

So remember Don Nelson and how he can get teams score? Well take that same offensive power and add solid defense and you get the Italian Stallion Mike D' Antoni. He has the Knicks at 10-12. The Knicks! His greatness can no longer be questioned.

3. Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)

Phil "Goldfinger" Jackson is the best coach ever at managing superstar egos. His contribution to basketball will always be the Triangle Offense, but his ability to put superstars under some sort of trance is what got him 1,237 championships. He tamed MJ, Pippen, Kobe and Shaq. 

2. Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)

So he never beat Jackson when it mattered, but he built his teams. He has had talented rosters in the past, but nothing to the extent of Jackson. He knows how to take his philosophy, which is play awesome basketball or leave, and gets it to work no matter what roster he has.

1. Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)

One decade...four championships...all with the same team. He is the best coach in the league because when he has George Hill on the court he still wins. When he has three superstars on the court he still wins. He also developed Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili into stars. Greatest.

Well I hope you enjoyed my extended two-part series. The list is completely factual and undisputable, so if anyone asks you who is the 12th best coach in the league you now know.

Grading the Generals: Ranking NBA coaches (vol. 1)

Just more than one month in to the NBA season and there have already been three coaches fired. It started with PJ Carlesimo who deserved to be fired three hundred times over, then Eddie Jordan was prematurely let go and finally Sam Mitchell got the ax, which still boggles my mind.

With all of the firings going on, I figured it would be a good time to give everyone a glimpse of where each coach currently stands. This will be the first of a two-part series that counts down to the best coach in the NBA. This first part will rank the coaches from 30-15.

30. Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City Thunder)

No one knows much about Brooks. He learned under a terrible coach in Carlesimo, which doesn't bode well for his future. He also has to see that terrible logo all over the place, which won't help.

29. Ed Tapscott (Washington Wizards)

Again, no one really knows what he is capable of doing. He has more experience than Brooks and learned under the solid Eddie Jordan. He might develop into a good coach eventually.

28. Terry Porter (Phoenix Suns)

He is just terrible. Like he did in Milwaukee, he is too stubborn to adapt to the players on his roster. He is suffocating the Suns with a slow, half-court offense and losing the trust of his players. I think Porter and Michigan Wolverine coach Rich Rodriguez should be friends.

27. Jay Triano (Toronto Raptors)

A young coach that learned from Sam Mitchell success starts with post scoring and works outside. I have high hopes for Triano and hope to see him in the NBA for a while. After all, he is the first Canadian to ever be head coach of an NBA team. 

26. Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings)

I like Reggie as a player and he seems like a nice guy, but he just doesn't coach efficiently. The guards throw it up too much and there is never a consistent flow from offense to defense in his gameplan it seems. I nominate John Salmons to be player-coach. He has great basketball IQ.

25. Marc Iavaroni (Memphis Grizzlies) 

He grew up under the tutelage of Mike D' Antoni and you can tell with his great offensive mind. This is only his second year, but he is going to need to realize that pseudo man defense won't work. If he can put it all together, he could become the next D'Antoni. Just not yet.

24. Randy Wittman (Minnesota Timberwolves)

The safest coach in the league. He doesn't take chances so his team won't rise to new heights, but it also won't crash completely. Wittman is a place holder until the Wolves are primed for a savvy, confident coach to lead them deep into the playoffs in a few seasons. 

23. Vinny Del Negro (Chicago Bulls)

Vinny is a player's coach, which is always good for a while, but he needs to make sure he doesn't turn into Flip Saunders. Vinny needs to keep control of the team like he is now and find ways to make teams pay for doubling Derrick Rose. He needs to hold front court accountable too.

22. Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat)

I like this guy's spunk. He learned from a great coach and has gained the respect of his team even though he is young. Right now though, he only knows how to get production out of his stars. I would like to see more five-player oriented sets. 

21. Maurice Cheeks (Philadelphia '76ers)

Has had success in Portland and a little in Philadelphia, but not an elite coach by any stretch. He gets his players to show up every night and put in great effort, but sometimes he loses his gameplan. Anyone who helps a little girl sing the National Anthem is OK with me though.

20. Mike Dunleavy (Los Angeles Clippers)

The most inconsistent coach in the NBA. Every four years or so Dunleavy wakes up and puts together a strong season, but he is far too complacent to be relied on. His experience gets him the 20th slot, but with promising, young coaches on the horizon, he should be done soon.

19. Jim O' Brien (Indiana Pacers)

Only two losing seasons in his coaching career, so that's not bad. In many ways he is an overachiever, because his offensive and defensive styles are nothing special, but he fights for every win. I think of him as the David Eckstein of coaches, you will get more than you pay for.

18. Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks)

Three division championships, but no conference titles. Carlisle's teams are known for staunch defense and good perimeter play. He has never seemed to get a good rotation between his starters and bench, which has led to inevitable losses in the playoffs. 

17. Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers)

Orchestrated a major mid-season turnaround in Seattle and guided the team to a division title, despite average talent. Has helped turn the Jail Blazers to the Trail Blazers and for the first time in his career, has a great roster. Watch him start to shine.

16. Lawrence Frank (New Jersey Nets)

He has only missed the playoffs once and has won two division titles. He looks poised to lead a team expected to finish in the basement to a playoff berth. His teams drive and kick out to shooters with great efficiency and usually are good at crashing the boards. 

15. Michael Curry (Detroit Pistons)

How could a coach who is only 8-4 be 15? Because he is extremely educated both on and off the court, preaches defense and is not afraid to change offensive strategy from game to game. Curry is the most promising of the first year coaches. Should have a LONG career. 

Well that's part one of the my series. Check back tomorrow to see where the final 15 coaches fall.  

Pursuing Popovich

Believe it or not, I am still here at TBDS. Someone who is not where they are supposed to be is Greg Popovich.

The San Antonio Spurs coach has gone missing and has been replaced by Donald Sutherland on the bench.

Don't get me wrong, Sutherland is a great actor. I have enjoyed everything from Ordinary People to Pride and Prejudice. But I don't know if he is capable of coaching this storied franchise to another Western Conference title.

I am here to give Sutherland some tips on how to get this injury-prone squad out of the basement and back into contention. Then I will see if I can figure out where Popovich went.

1. Give Mason the Minutes
Roger Mason has resurrected his career and it is time to ride that hot hand for as long as possible. With Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli out of action, Mason is the only "threat" this team has from the perimeter. I don't know if it is because Mason has a Web Diary now, but he is playing inspired basketball, and if he can play 40+ minutes a night, go for it.

2. Everyone...and shot...deserves a second chance
The Spurs are 1-4 and there is a reason for it. The offense is dead. There isn't much a team can do about a terrible shooting percentage, but second chance opportunities on offense will help and that is where Kurt Thomas comes in. Thomas has not played a whole lot this season, but with Tim Duncan having to do all the offensive work, it would be wise to get Thomas on the floor and get this team some much needed offensive boards and interior defense. For example, he notched 6 boards and 2 blocks in just 13 minutes against the Miami Heat in the Spurs' most recent loss. If you bump that time up to 20 minutes, there is a good chance he gets 10 points and 10 boards.

3. The future is now, even if it isn't bright
So the Spurs bench is pretty mediocre, but so was their new coach's performance in Invasion of the Body Snatchers but he still made it work. So what Sutherland needs to do is give guys like Jacque Vaughan, George Hill and Anthony Tolliver some playing time. Vaughan is a good defender with high basketball I.Q., and Hill and Tolliver have upside. I got to watch Tolliver at Creighton and while he is nowhere close to an NBA center, he could be a servicable power forward with his outside touch. Hill has been aggressive when given the opportunity and has a high ceiling.

4. If you still can't win...call the professor
Donald Sutherland may not know basketball as evidenced by the 1-4 start he has the Spurs off to, but he knows how to ease his stress. If the losing continues and Sutherland finds himself on the hot seat, he should just channel his performance of Professor Dave Jennings in Animal House and light one up. Maybe he can meet up with Josh Howard after a game and they can relax together.

While I believe anyone of those three suggestions would help the Spurs win, the best solution is to find Greg Popovich. He isn't a very outgoing individual so there isn't many leads, but I have a hunch he could be in North Carolina with his main man Larry Brown sippin on some wine while trying to figure out the Bobcat mess before coming back to San Antonio to lead a miracle comeback into the playoffs.

Or maybe he is at the barber shop...

Photo Credit: NBA.com